Veneer gluing machine



Dec. 15, 1942. us- 1 7 2,305,525

VENEER GLUING MACHINE FiIed May 1, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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TToimEYs.

1942- G. M. GUSTIN VENEER GLUING MACHINE Filed May 1, 1939 3Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VENTOR ATTORNEYJ.

O O O O O O L ly 5 Dec. 15, 1942. a. M. GUSTIN 2,305,525

VENEER GLUING MACHINE Filed May 1, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 2f INVENTOR. BYeo/zi'e jaw m 4 M v c%%.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 15, 1942 VENEER GLUING MACHINE George M. Gustin, Wabash,Ind., assignor to The G. M. Diehl Machine Works, Wabash, Ind acorporation of Indiana Application May 1, 1939, Serial No.-271,071

15- Claims. (01. 144-219) My invention relates to improvements in veneerjoining machines and particularly to that type of machine primarilyadapted for uniting the edges of, veneer sheets and like material.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means for applying tothe edges of th veneer sheets, as the sheets are fed into the pressingpart of the machine;a liquid either in the form of an adhesive or amoistener for the adhesive which has previously been applied.

In gluing veneer sheets edge to edge, in certain commercial practice, itis the custom to apply. the glue or other adhesive to the edges of thesheets as these edges are trimmed. The adhesive becomes dry in storageor at least prior to the gluing of the sheets together and in certaincommercial practices, it is the custom to apply a liquid, gem erallyformaldehyde, for moistening and soften ing the glue before the sheetsare fed into the machine for applying heat and pressure to the va neersto cause the sheets to abut edge to edge.

It is one of theobjects of my invention to pro.-. vide a machine havingan improved means for applying such formaldehyde or other softeningmaterial to the edges of the veneer for softening the glue, or forapplying the adhesive itself if none has been previously applied.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved means forapplying continuous pressure to the adjacent edges of the veneer sheetsas they U pass through the machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fullyhereinafter in the accompanying specification and claims.

' For the purpose 01' disclosing my invention, I

have illustrated an embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 isatideolemlon of a machine embo'dye ing my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the presser head, also showinga portion of the bot.- tom run of the feeding chains Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view of the presser head;

. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, in side elevation, of the presser chainas mbly;

Fig. 5 is an end ele ation of the subject matter illustrated in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, of

' the liquidapplying mechanism; Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of thpresser driving chain; and

/Flq8 is a fragmentary plan of thesupporting tabiennd accompanyingconveyor chains;

In the embodimentof the invention illustrated,

table 2 within the surface of which is adapted in travel a pair ofconveyor chains 3 arranged side by side and in somewhat spacedrelationship. These conveyor chains may, if desired, converge toward oneanother from the front toward the rear'of the table. Disposed betweenthe chains is a heating platen l beneath which is arranged a heatingchamber 5 through which is adapted. to be passed suitable live steam forgenerating sufiicient heat to heat the platen and therefore heat theadjacent edges of the veneer sheets as they are passed through themachine by the conveyor chains.

Supported above the work: table 2 is a presser headii which ispreferably vertically adjustable relatively to the table through themedium suitable adjustable mechanism (not shcwnl. This presser headcomprises an enclosing casing "i preferably in the form of a castinghaving side openings closed by cover plates ii and within the casing arethe pressure chains.

chains comprise a series of pressure blocks 9 or pressure plates, eachhaving secured on the upper face thereof a pair oi brackets suitablyspaced apart and adapted to receive between the same a link drivingsprocket chain it. The brackets Ill are adapted to be connected to thechain through the medium of extended pivot pins -l3 of the links of thechain i2 which pins pass through the brackets Hi and through the linksit of the chain. The chain is driven from the shaft upon which ismounted the'driving sprocket It mounted within an end housing 6'slidably Y face thereofto the presser pin or rod H. For

1 provides. suitable base I carrying an operatin 55 pivotally connectingthe block to the pin, apivot l8 extends through the bracket arms and-thebottom end of this pin or. rod. The rod extends upwardly between a pairof guide plates l9 and I] p which plate are held in spaced relation bysuit-:

able hollow bushings 2| surrounding the rod and at its upper end isprovided with a threaded bearlug nut 22 held in its adjusted position bya lock macs. These guide plates 19 and an assist in maintaining andguiding the presser pins or rods 11 in their vertical position. Thisbearing nut provides a bottom bearing for a coiled spring 24,

the upper end of which surrounds a guide lug 25 carried by a laterallyextending arm 26 projecting from a central longitudinally extending web21.

The web, at suitable intervals along its length, has screw-threaded intobosses 28 thereon supporting screws 29 which have fixed on their upperends, on the outsid of the casing, worm gears 30 adapted to be rotatedby worm pinions 3|] on a shaft 32, whereby the web may be verticallyadjusted and thus the tension of the springs 24 varied to meet varyingpressure requirements. Each of the pressure shoes I has secured on itsunder face a pair of tracks 33 having preferably V-shaped faces andthese tracks each bears upon V-shaped rollers 34 carried by the links 35of a roller chain. These rollers 34, in turn, bear upon similar track 36extending upwardly from the upper face of the pressure plates 9. Thereis thus provided groups of floating rollers interposed between thepressure shoes I 5 and the pressure plate 9 whereby the pressure fromthe feet is transmitted to the plates with a minimum of frictional 1resistance, due to the fact that the plates are carried on a movingchain and the feet remain substantially stationary. At the same time,due to the V tracks and corresponding grooves in the rollers, lateraldisplacement is resisted.

In order that the pressure shoes l5 of the entire series may bemaintained in proper alignment, a continuous aligning strip 31 restsupon the t p of the feet, being disposed between the brackets 96 andbeneath the supporting pins I l and between pairs of verticallyextending lugs 39 on the upper faces of the shoes. The parts I! are thusheld against rotative movement and the shoes therefore held in properalignment. While maintaining the presser shoes in alignment, this st ippermits free vertical movement of the presser shoes and likewise permitsthem to pivot on their pivot pins i3. Due to the fact that the strip 31is relativelv w de compared to its thickness. it is late a ly ri id.alth ugh vertically flexible.

The upper run of the floating friction reducing chains travels onV-shaped tracks 40 mounted upon the upper face supporting plate 4|which.

at their ends and at intermediate points. rest upon and are secured tocross webs 42 extend ng tra sversely between side walls of the cas n 1.

The spaced guide plates i9 and 20 are held in cla p d together positionby suitable clamping bolts 43 and are s p orted from cross webs 44extending between the side walls of the casing I throu h the medi m ofsu porting bolts 45 which sc ew into the bottom ed es of these crosswebs. These cross webs also assist in supporting the supporting plates4|. At the front end of the asing, I provide arcuate gu de tracks forthe fricti n reducing roller chains. These tracks prefe ably c nsist ofplates 46 bolted to the opposite ed es of vertically disposed spacerbars 41 which bars in turn are bolted to upwardly extend ing supportingbrackets 48 projecting from the -u.pper plate Iii. The roller chainincluding the links 35 and the rollers 34 is disposed between thepresser shoes I 5 and the presser chain comprising the plates 9 and thedriving chain l2 therefor. By this arrangement, a floating frictionreducing member is interposed between th presser shoes l5 and the chainwhich comes in contact with the veneer. This materially reduces thefriction between the parts.

The floating friction reducing chains travel over similar guide plates49 at the rear end of the machine, which guide plates are pivoted at 49and biased outwardly by springs 49 to prevent slack in the floatingchain.

The veneer sheets, as is obvious, are fed forward on and by the conveyorchains 3, pressure being applied to the veneer sheets above the conveyorchains by the pressure plates 9, as above described. In view of the factthat the conveyor chains and accompanying pressure chains or feet areseparated, the abutting edges of the veneer sheets do not come incontact with the pressure chains. In order to apply pressure to theabutting edges, and at the same time apply heat to these abutting edges,I provide an ironing foot or plate which, at its forward end, projectsthrough a slot 5| in the forward end of the casing and is bolted to thefront end of the casing as at 52. This ironing plate extends rearwardlythe full length of the pressure chains and is located immediately abovethe joint of the veneer sheetsand immediately beneath a stem or heatingchamber 53 which is disposed between the two pressure chains. Heat isconducted to the ironing foot or plate through the medium of upwardlyextending springs 54 which are riveted to the top surface of the ironerand bear on the under surface of the heating chamber 53. By thisarrangement, not only is suflicient pressure applied to the spraymechanism. To this end, a spray nozzle comprising the spray pipe 55 isprojected up through a suitable opening 56' in the table. This pipe, atits upper end, has a jet nozzle 51, preferably screwed therein, and itsurrounded by an annular cup 58 coveredby a perforated disc 59. This cuphas a drain opening 60 for carrying off any excess moisture as theresult of the spraying action. The pipe 55 projects into a closedcontainer 6| mounted beneath the table into which pressure is admittedfrom a suitable pressure pipe above the liquid contained therein. As aresult of this pressure, the liquid is forced up through the pipe 55 andthrough the jet nozzle 51 being directed against the adjacent edges ofthe veneer sheets as they are fed over the same. The spray jet deliveredby the jet nozzle 51 is of course extremely fine-and thin and a greaterportion of the liquid remains on the edges of the veneer. However, thereis a certain drip from the veneer and this drip is accumulated in thecup 58 and drained therefrom.

To confine the jet between the slightly separated adjacent edges of theveneer sheets, I provide a spring foot 62 comprising a baffle platewhich overlays the top adjacent edges of the veneer sheets above thespray jet and this spring foot is secured to a spring 63 mounted upon analigning fin 64 secured upon thetable surface 'in front of the sprayingopening in the table. The jet thus passes between the adjacent edges ofthe veneer sheets and contacting the same also impinges upon the foot 62which turns the jet back upon itself, thus insuring thorough moisteningof the adjacent edges of the veneer and preventing the escape of theliquid between the adjacent edges of the veneer above the sheets.

In operation, a pair of veneer sheets is fed to the intake end of themachine. The adjacent edges of the sheets are maintained separated bythe fin 64. As the separated edges pass over the nozzle 51, the edges,which have heretofore received adhesive, are moistened by the spraydirected on the adjacent edges by the nozzle. After having received themoisture, the adjacent sheets pass forward until they are engagedbetween the bottom feed conveyors 3 and the presser plates 9 beingcarried by these conveyors and feet toward the rear of the machine. Dueto the fact that the conveyors 3 tend to converge toward the rear end ofthe machine, the edges of the veneers are brought into abutting relationand due to the fact that the presser feet bear down on the tops of theadjacent edges, there is no danger of the sheets becoming wrinkled. Asthe sheets pass through the machine, the adjacent edges are pressed uponby the ironing foot or plate .50 and as the base t and the foot 50 areheated, the moistened glue edges are heated and dried so that by thetime the sheets emerge from the rear end of the machine, their abuttingedges are firmly secured together.

I. claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a worktable, of a pair of longitudinally traveling laterally disposed conveyorbelts operating in the top of said work table, a pair of continuouspresser belts disposed above said conveyor belts and having their bottomrun cooperating with said conveyor belts, said presser belts each havinga pair of tracks disposed on the inner surface thereof, presser feetdisposed above said presser belts having tracks mounted on the undersurface thereof and continuous roller carrying belts having the rollerson their bottom runs operating between the tracks on the presser feetand tracks on the presser belts for transmitting the pressure of saidpresser feet to the bottom runs of said presser belts.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a worktable, of a pair of longitudinally traveling laterally spaced conveyorbelts operating in the top surface thereof, of a plurality of presserfeet disposed above the upper run of each of said belts in alignmentwith one another, continuous presser belts having their bottom runsdisposed between said presser feet and disposed conveyor belts and acontinuous flexible strip disposed above and in contact with each set oflongitudinally aligned feet.

3. In a machine of the character described,

the combination with a work table, of a pair of longit-udinallytraveling laterally disposed conveyor belts operating in the top of saidwork table, a plurality of aligned presser feet disposed above the toprun of each of said belts, a continuous flexible strip of materialdisposed above and bearing upon each set of aligned presser feet, meanson the presser feet engaging the edges of said strip to prevent lateraldisplacement of the feet and continuous presser belts having theirbottom runs disposed between said presser feet and said conveyor belts.

4. In a machine of the character described. the combination with a worktable, of a pair of longitudinally traveling laterally disposed conveyorbelts operating in the top of said work table, a plurality oflongitudinally aligned presser feet disposed above the upper run of eachof said belts, presser rods for said feet, means for pivotallyconnecting each of said feet to a presser rod and a continuous flexiblestrip extending above and pressing upon the longitudinally aligned feetof each set, means on said feet en'- gaging said strip to preventlateral displacement of the feet and continuous presser belts havingtheir bottom runs disposed between said presser feet and said conveyorbelt.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a worktable, of a pair of longitudinally traveling laterally disposed conveyorbelts operating in the top of said work table, a pair of continuouspresser belts disposed above said conveyor belts and having their bottomruns cooperating with said conveyor belts, said presser belts eachhaving a pair of track members disposed on the inner surface thereof,presser feet disposed above the bottom run of said presser belts havingtrack members mounted on the under surface thereof, and continuousroller carrying belts having roller members on their bottom runsoperating between the track members on the presser feet and the trackmembers on the presser belt for transmitting pressure of the presserfeet to the bottom runs of the presser belts, said track and rollermembers having a knife edge and knife-edge receiving groove contactingwith one another.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a worktable, of a pair of longitudinally traveling laterally disposed conveyorbelts operating in the top of said work table, a pair of continuouspresser belts disposed above said conveyor belts and having their bottomruns cooperating with said conveyor belts, said presser belts eachhaving a pair of knife edged tracks disposed on the inner surfacethereof, presser feet disposed above said presser belts having knifeedged tracks mounted on the under surface thereof and continuous rollercarrying belts having rollers provided with V- shaped grooves in theirperipheries operating between the tracks on the presser feet and thetracks on the presser belts for transmitting the pressure of saidpresser feet to the bottom runs of the presser belts- 7- In a machinefor edge uniting veneers, in combination, a flat bedded work table, apair of horizontally travelling laterally spaced conveyors in the topsurface of said table, laterally spaced presser means disposed abovesaid conveyors and adapted to press the adjacent strips of veneers ontosaid conveyors, an opening in said table between the paths of travel ofsaid conveyors and at the intake end of said presser means, a flatbaffle plate disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of said tableabove said opening and beneath which veneers are adapted 4 to pass, avertically delivering nozzle mounted beneath said bed and delivering astream of liquid vertically against said baffle plate between theadjacent edges of the veneer strips, and means for supplying said nozzlewith liquid.

8. In a machine for edge uniting veneers, in combination, a worktable, apair of horizontally travelling laterally spaced conveyors in the topsurface of said table, laterally spaced presser means disposed abovesaid conveyors and adapted to press the adjacent strips of veneer ontosaid conveyors, an opening in said table at the intake end of saidpresser means and between the paths of travel of said conveyors, a flatbaffle plate disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the tableabove said opening and beneath which the adjacent edges of the veneersare adapted to pass, a vertically disposed fin on said table in advanceof said opening and maintaining the adjacent edges of the veneer stripsseparated as they pass over said opening, a vertically delivering nozzlemounted beneath said table and delivering through said opening againstsaid baffle plate, and means for supplying said nozzle with liquid.

9. In a machine of the character described,

in combination, a work table, a pair of horizontally travellinglaterally spaced conveyors in the top surface of said table, laterallyspaced presser means disposed above said conveyors for pressing the workonto said conveyors, an opening in said table between the paths oftravel of said conveyors and at the intake end of said presser means, a,flat baflle plate disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of saidtable above said opening and beneath which the adjacent edges of theveneer strips are adapted to pass, a vertically delivering nozzlemounted below said table and delivering through said opening againstsaid plate, a drainage cup fitting within said opening and surroundingsaid nozzle, means for supplying said nozzle with a liquid, and meansfor delivering the liquid collected in said drainage cup to said supplymeans. 10. In a machine of the character described, in combination, awork table, a longitudinally travelling conveyor belt operating in thetop surface thereof, a frame arranged above said table, a plurality ofpresser members longitudinally disposed in said frame and each membercomprising a vertically extending post vertically movable in said frame,an elongated shoe mounted on a horizontal pivot at the bottom of saidpost and a. coiled spring bearing on said post for biasing said shoestoward said conveyor belts, a continuous presser belthaving its bottomoperating between said shoes and said conveyor, a continuous roller beltdisposed between said shoes and presser belt, tracks on the bottom facesof said shoes and tracks on the inner faces of said presser beltsengaged by the rollers on said roller belt, and means extending betweensaid shoes for preventing rotative movement of said posts to therebymaintain said shoes in longitudinal alignment.

11. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a worktable, a longitudinally travelling conveyor belt operating in the topsurface thereof, a frame above said table, a plurality of pressermembers longitudinally disposed in said frame and each comprising avertically extending post vertically movable in said frame, an elongatedshoe mounted on a horizontal pivot at the bottom of said post and acoiled spring bearing on said post and biasing said shoe toward saidconveyor, a continuous presser belt disposed above said conveyor andhaving its bottom run operating between said shoes and said conveyor, acontinuous roller belt disposed between said shoes and presser belt,tracks on the bottom faces of said shoes, and tracks on the inner facesof said presser belts engaged by the rollers of said roller belt, andmeans for interlocking said shoes one with the other against rotation onthe vertical axis of said posts to maintain said shoes in lateral alignment.

12. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a worktable, a longitudinally travelling conveyor belt operating in the topsurface thereof, a frame above said table, a plurality of pressermembers longitudinally disposed in said frame and each comprising avertically extending post vertically movable in said frame, an elongatedshoe mounted on a horizontal pivot at the bottom of said post and acoiled spring biasing said post toward said conveyor, a continuouspresser belt disposed above said conveyor and having its bottom runoperating between said shoes and said conveyor, a continuous roller beltdisposed between said shoes and presser belt, tracks on the bottom facesof said shoes and tracks on the inner faces of said presser belt engagedby the rollers of said roller belt, a laterally rigid strip extendinglongitudinally of said shoes and laterally interlocked with each of saidshoes to prevent rotation of said shoes on the vertical axes of theirposts.

13. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a worktable, a longitudinally travelling conveyor belt operating in the topsurface thereof, a frame rality of pressure members longitudinallydisposed in said frame and each comprising a vertically extending postvertically movable in said frame, an elongated shoe mounted on ahorizontal pivot at the bottom of said post and a coiled spring bearingon said post and biasing said shoes toward said conveyor, a continuouspresser belt having its bottom run operating between said shoes and saidconveyor, a continuous roller belt disposed between said shoes and saidpresser belt, tracks on the bottom faces of said shoes and tracks on theinner faces of said presser belt engaged by the rollers of said rollerbelt, and vertically flexible laterally rigid means interlocking saidshoes longitudinally and preventing rotative movement of said shoes onthe axes of their posts.

14. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a worktable, a longitudinally travelling conveyor belt operating in the topsurface thereof, a frame above said table, a plurality of pressermembers longitudinally disposed in said frame and each comprising avertically extending post vertically movable in said frame, an elongatedshoe mounted on a horizontal pivot at the bottom of said post and acoiled spring biasing said shoe toward said conveyor, a continuouspresser belt having its bottom run operating between said shoes and saidconveyor, a continuous roller belt disposed between said shoes andpresser belt, tracks on the bottom faces of said shoes and tracks on theinner faces of said presser belts engaged by the rollers of said rollerbelt, and means for looking said shoes against rotation on the verticalaxes of said posts.

15. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a worktable, a longitudinally travelling conveyor belt operating in the topsurface thereof, a frame above said table, a plurality of pressermembers longitudinally disposed in said frame and each comprising avertically extending post vertically movable in said frame, an elongatedshoe mounted on a horizotal pivot at the bottom of said post and acoiled spring biasing said shoe toward said conveyor, a continuouspresser belt having its bottom run operating between said shoes and saidconveyor, a continuous roller belt disposed between said shoes and saidpresser belt, and means for locking said shoes against rotation on thevertical axes of their posts for maintaining said shoes in longitudinalalignment.

GEORGE M. GUSTIN.

above said table, a plu-

